Ancient Persia "The GREATest civilization that ever lived..."
Persia was an extremely successful empire that had everything people at that time could wish for. A strong government, established religion, successful economy, phenomenal art, advanced technology, and great society allowed Persia to thrive. The leaders of the empire, including Cyrus the Great and Darius I, efficiently ruled their people and built a highly trained army. Persians also traded frequently with other empires and worked hard to maintain enough goods to continue trading, which helped their economy immensely. There was a great variety of architecture and artwork, such as religious buildings and other pieces of art to represent important people in the empire. The advanced technology was a strong aid to everyone, giving them nice places to live in and gave the military the advantage of having strong tools and weapons. Throughout the whole existence of the Persian Empire, everybody was united not only in their monotheistic religion Zoroastrianism, but also in everyday life. There were very little conflicts within the empire. In turn, Persia had a very admirable culture. It is no wonder that many people today believe Persia was the greatest civilization to ever live.
Government (Kris Blau)
Cyrus the Great was the first leader of Persia. He came into rule in 550 B.C. after he had invaded the Persian tribes territory with his army from Medes. He easily defeated the Persians very quickly, and could've chased them down and killed them. He decided to become the leader of the tribes and bring them together to create the Persian Empire. He was placed as kings and he selected Median and Persian notables to help him with administration. He thought that this would help the Empire strive and grow. Cyrus had formed a Monarchy! After the rule of Cyrus came the rule of Darius I. He helped evolve the government, enforce law, and stimulated the empire's economy and trade. He is known for his extensive expansion of the Persian empire. He added on northwest India, Thrace, and Macedonia. His worst fail was at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. It started with an Ionian revolt. The city-state rebelled and asked for help from the Greek city states. Sparta declined but Athens sent 20 warships. Darius easily stopped the revolts and wanted revenge on Athens. The two sides set up on the Marathon Plateau. Athens sent 10,000 men and occupied the high ground, which is a huge advantage. Persia had the low land and brought a lot more, with 12,000 - 15,000 men. Neither side wanted to attack so they waited. After nine days Persia decided to attack because they were taking too long. They failed horribly and had to retreat. They would end up winning ten years later because of Darius' son Xerxes at the Battle of Thermopylae. The strongest unit in the Persian empire was the heavy Calvary. They also had a extensive supply of war ships. After Xerxes' rule, the government started to dissipate in 449 B.C. This happened because the following rulers were very weak and revolts broke out. Then came Alexander the Great who wiped out the Persians in 330 B.C.
Darius I receives Median dignitary
This is the relief of Darius the first king of PERSIA 522 to 486 BCE!!!!!!=D Behind him is his son Xerxes the first.
external image battle-of-marathon-map.jpg
This is a map of the Battle of Marathon
Religion and Economy (Fiona McCluskey)
Persian Religion
Zoroastrianism is the main religion of ancient Persia, and it was one of the first major monotheistic (one god) religions. Zoroastrianism started in northern Persia, and later expanded through all of the Persian lands. The founder of Zoroastrianism is a priest and prophet named Zoroaster from the 6th century BC. He used to be a priest of Persia's previous polytheistic (many gods) religion. Zoroaster preached that the only god worth worshipping was Ahura Mazda, the creator of the Universe. The script of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta, which include the Gathas (written by Zoroaster). The Gatha's were 17 hymns that showed Zoroaster's teachings, and they showed the main Zoroastrian ideas about the universe. They state that Ahura Mazda created everything, morality, nature, light, and dark. He also crated the Amesha Spentas (which means beautiful spirits) who worked for Ahura Mazda. Each of the Amesha Spentas represent a different value, like devotion, wholeness, truth and justice, immortality, and righteousness. These were all values that Zoroastrians that practiced to Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda gave birth to 2 different spririts at the beginning of time. These spirits were the good Ohrmazd and the evi Ahriman. Ohrmazd and Ahriman fought against each other in a battle against supreme good and supreme evil. Humans take part in this struggle, even though they do make good decisions. When humans die they cross a bridge to get to Ahura Mazda, who will decide if the person took part in the battle of good or the battle of evil. those athat fought for good went to "the kingdom of justice and truth" where they will always be happy, while those who were evil were sent to the "kingdom of the lie" where they would be tortured. The scriptures also say that when the battle between good, Ohrmazd, and evil, Ahriman ends the universe will be destroyed, and a new world will be made with no evil. Then all good people will be ressurected and live in "timeless earthly splendor". Zoroaster also preached many rituals, that centered around 4 elements; earth, fire, water, and air. Zoroaster worked very hard to avoid "corrupting" the elements because they were sacred. To keep the elements pure they did not bury or cremate bodies to avoid polluting fire and earth. Fire was very important (even in their monotheistic religion) because it represent Asha who was the light of all that is good in the universe. Sacred fires burned in temples and were tended to by the Magi (the ritual preists). Some of these fires were claimed to have burned for centuries. Zoroastrians didn't worship fire though, they viewed it as the power of goodness. Many temples were busy with people praying to Ahura Mazda and many festivals were celebrated lashvishly in Perisian culture. Today 140,000 people claim to be Zoroastrians.
external image Zoroastrianism.jpg
external image fravahar.jpg
Persian Economy
Because of its immense size the emperor, Darius, divided Persia into different provinces, called satrapys that were governed by the satrap. Each province had to pay a different amount of taxes based on the amount of people and money it had.
Darius helped trade in Persia too. He had hundreds of miles of roads to be built to make it easier to transport goods. He also made a common set of weights and measurements that would be the same most places they traveled.
Persian civilians adopted the use of coins; this idea was adopted from the Lydians. Most other civilizations were still using a barter economy, exchanging one thing for another, but using coins now gave them the opportunity to become merchants and traders. Thus replacing barter with the exchange of money.
Persians developed an irrigation system that helped to water their crops. Because Persia was so gigantic in size it grew a variety of different crops, including wheat, barley, and olives.
Persians traded with other civilizations using the silk road. The silk road was a system of routes where cultures like China and India used to trade all sorts of items. The road stretched for hundreds and hundreds miles.
external image mongolbilingual8122.jpg
Art (Khalen Roye)
1: Important buildings
Most of the important buildings in Persia that are important to Persians have to do with religion. Persians believed in zoapiintism and all of their religious buildings are temples.
This is a picture of a refurbished sculpture made by the Persians thousands of years ago shows how buildings and important places in Persia consisted of important events and people. The picture on the right is a picture of the great city Persepolis where many important terraces and religious buildings were. Persia also included palaces, tombs, caravansaries, shrines, minarets, and mosques.
Darius, the last king of Persia. He ruled from 336 to 330 BCE.He is greatly known for losing the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great defeats Darius III at Issus
A mosaic of the war between Persia and Macedonia where Alexander the Great won over Darius the Third
Detail from the Alexander Sarcophagus
A sculpture of the war between Darius the Third and Alexander the Great.
Philip II of Macedon
Philip the Second of Macedon
Alexander the Great in battle with Persians
A fabricated sculpture of the Persian War including Darius the Third and Alexander the Great. Made in recent times based on how the sculptor viewed the war that happened thousands of years ago.
Byzantine church in Macedonia
Even though this is not a picture of a place in Persia it replicates some of the same building styles that the Persians had. This is a picture of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Macedonia.
Darius I receives Median dignitary
A sculpture carved out of some sort of stone made in recent times of guards and civilians bowing down to the king.
Ancient ceremonial center of Persepolis
Corel Sculptured capitals crown ruined columns at the ancient ceremonial center of Persepolis but in modern-day this would be southwestern Iran. The site was constructed in the sixth century BCE and was a residence for Achaemenid kings. Later on it was to be looted and burned by the armies of Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. Culturally, the Persian Empire can be compared to a mosaic, with many different cultures and societies coexisting under one general government. Greek historian Herodotus noted the willingness to adopt the customs of other cultures as one of the Persians' defining cultural characteristics. Similarly, Persian art, including the construction in the Persian capitals, made luxurious use of materials and craftsmen from throughout the empire and beyond. Within the empire, the satraps, or leaders of the various provinces, exercised a great deal of power, particularly later in the history of the empire. The Persian Army also played an important role, with imperial troops stationed throughout the empire. Rulers of the empire attempted to stimulate the economy both by promoting trade and investing in irrigation and other efforts to improve agriculture. These two pictures are images of buildings made in recent times. This show that even today, in the Middle East, Persian architecture still exists today.
Technology:
What allowed Persia to grow culturally was its agricultural success. Besides the advantage of extremely fertile valleys in Fars, the Persians also created the Persian Water Wheel, an irrigation system that brought water from the Nile River. This greatly benefitted farmers because the Persian plateau was overall very arid. Settlers in Persia were able to build cities, which helped with trade, as well as smaller towns where people could live. Roads were built, most notably the Royal Road, which allowed people to communicate with others who lived far from them. The Persian military was able to conquer many lands using composite recurve bows, which were highly advanced bow and arrows at the time that could shoot far distances. In fact, an important part of children's education was learning to use a bow and arrow. Horse racing was the next strength of Persians, and soldiers were trained to ride them proficiently.
Persian water wheel
Persian water wheel
Society:
Ancient Persia was a sophisticated, wealthy, and beautiful empire that was envied by all. Aryan tribes, who were originally from the Caspian Sea region, were the first settlers of this great empire. They settled in the region of Fars on the Persian plateau, surrounded by mountains and desert. There were fertile valleys in which people were able to grow surpluses of food. However, the settlers had a rough beginning in their new land. The Medes, who lived near Fars, took control of the Aryan tribes, against their wishes. But along came Cyrus the Great, who united the Medes and the Aryan tribes, and took control of his newly established empire. He began the great success of Persia. At the time of his rule, several different cultures existed, as Cyrus showed great respect and importance towards diversity and different customs. In turn, the people of Persia valued and respected him. Persia quickly became known for its stunning buildings, flourishing gardens, and large merchant districts. Egypt and Greece were later seized by the Persians, further increasing their wealth, but unfortunately also increasing the risk of being attacked due to jealousy from other empires. The empire was expanded yet again by Darius I, when he became leader and seized western India. He also benefitted Persia in other ways, creating a successful administration, including building a postal system and establishing standard weights and measurements. Finally, Darius I improved communication across the vast empire. When the Sassanian family took power, Zoroastrianism became the single religion practiced and the first social hierarchy was put in place. The royal family was the most powerful and wealthy, second were the Zoroastrian priests, next were the military workers, and at the bottom were the common people.Many sports were played, such as archery and horse racing. Even after Persia was overun by Muslims, the wonderful culture continued to live on.
Ancient Persia "The GREATest civilization that ever lived..."
Persia was an extremely successful empire that had everything people at that time could wish for. A strong government, established religion, successful economy, phenomenal art, advanced technology, and great society allowed Persia to thrive. The leaders of the empire, including Cyrus the Great and Darius I, efficiently ruled their people and built a highly trained army. Persians also traded frequently with other empires and worked hard to maintain enough goods to continue trading, which helped their economy immensely. There was a great variety of architecture and artwork, such as religious buildings and other pieces of art to represent important people in the empire. The advanced technology was a strong aid to everyone, giving them nice places to live in and gave the military the advantage of having strong tools and weapons. Throughout the whole existence of the Persian Empire, everybody was united not only in their monotheistic religion Zoroastrianism, but also in everyday life. There were very little conflicts within the empire. In turn, Persia had a very admirable culture. It is no wonder that many people today believe Persia was the greatest civilization to ever live.
Government (Kris Blau)
Cyrus the Great was the first leader of Persia. He came into rule in 550 B.C. after he had invaded the Persian tribes territory with his army from Medes. He easily defeated the Persians very quickly, and could've chased them down and killed them. He decided to become the leader of the tribes and bring them together to create the Persian Empire. He was placed as kings and he selected Median and Persian notables to help him with administration. He thought that this would help the Empire strive and grow. Cyrus had formed a Monarchy! After the rule of Cyrus came the rule of Darius I. He helped evolve the government, enforce law, and stimulated the empire's economy and trade. He is known for his extensive expansion of the Persian empire. He added on northwest India, Thrace, and Macedonia. His worst fail was at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. It started with an Ionian revolt. The city-state rebelled and asked for help from the Greek city states. Sparta declined but Athens sent 20 warships. Darius easily stopped the revolts and wanted revenge on Athens. The two sides set up on the Marathon Plateau. Athens sent 10,000 men and occupied the high ground, which is a huge advantage. Persia had the low land and brought a lot more, with 12,000 - 15,000 men. Neither side wanted to attack so they waited. After nine days Persia decided to attack because they were taking too long. They failed horribly and had to retreat. They would end up winning ten years later because of Darius' son Xerxes at the Battle of Thermopylae. The strongest unit in the Persian empire was the heavy Calvary. They also had a extensive supply of war ships. After Xerxes' rule, the government started to dissipate in 449 B.C. This happened because the following rulers were very weak and revolts broke out. Then came Alexander the Great who wiped out the Persians in 330 B.C.
This is the relief of Darius the first king of PERSIA 522 to 486 BCE!!!!!!=D Behind him is his son Xerxes the first.
This is a map of the Battle of Marathon
Religion and Economy (Fiona McCluskey)
Persian ReligionZoroastrianism is the main religion of ancient Persia, and it was one of the first major monotheistic (one god) religions. Zoroastrianism started in northern Persia, and later expanded through all of the Persian lands. The founder of Zoroastrianism is a priest and prophet named Zoroaster from the 6th century BC. He used to be a priest of Persia's previous polytheistic (many gods) religion. Zoroaster preached that the only god worth worshipping was Ahura Mazda, the creator of the Universe. The script of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta, which include the Gathas (written by Zoroaster). The Gatha's were 17 hymns that showed Zoroaster's teachings, and they showed the main Zoroastrian ideas about the universe. They state that Ahura Mazda created everything, morality, nature, light, and dark. He also crated the Amesha Spentas (which means beautiful spirits) who worked for Ahura Mazda. Each of the Amesha Spentas represent a different value, like devotion, wholeness, truth and justice, immortality, and righteousness. These were all values that Zoroastrians that practiced to Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda gave birth to 2 different spririts at the beginning of time. These spirits were the good Ohrmazd and the evi Ahriman. Ohrmazd and Ahriman fought against each other in a battle against supreme good and supreme evil. Humans take part in this struggle, even though they do make good decisions. When humans die they cross a bridge to get to Ahura Mazda, who will decide if the person took part in the battle of good or the battle of evil. those athat fought for good went to "the kingdom of justice and truth" where they will always be happy, while those who were evil were sent to the "kingdom of the lie" where they would be tortured. The scriptures also say that when the battle between good, Ohrmazd, and evil, Ahriman ends the universe will be destroyed, and a new world will be made with no evil. Then all good people will be ressurected and live in "timeless earthly splendor". Zoroaster also preached many rituals, that centered around 4 elements; earth, fire, water, and air. Zoroaster worked very hard to avoid "corrupting" the elements because they were sacred. To keep the elements pure they did not bury or cremate bodies to avoid polluting fire and earth. Fire was very important (even in their monotheistic religion) because it represent Asha who was the light of all that is good in the universe. Sacred fires burned in temples and were tended to by the Magi (the ritual preists). Some of these fires were claimed to have burned for centuries. Zoroastrians didn't worship fire though, they viewed it as the power of goodness. Many temples were busy with people praying to Ahura Mazda and many festivals were celebrated lashvishly in Perisian culture. Today 140,000 people claim to be Zoroastrians.
Persian Economy
Art (Khalen Roye)
1: Important buildings
Most of the important buildings in Persia that are important to Persians have to do with religion. Persians believed in zoapiintism and all of their religious buildings are temples.This is a picture of a refurbished sculpture made by the Persians thousands of years ago shows how buildings and important places in Persia consisted of important events and people. The picture on the right is a picture of the great city Persepolis where many important terraces and religious buildings were. Persia also included palaces, tombs, caravansaries, shrines, minarets, and mosques.
Mosques are houses of prayer minarets, the tall part of a mosque. (Shrine) A place of prayer.
A guard tower (caravansaries).
http://www.irantour.org/Iran/art-sience/ARCHITECTURE.html
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+city&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=26QDdE7diMAfzM:&imgrefurl=http://ancientweb.org/explore/country/Persia&docid=QNDaRdokLjRvhM&w=480&h=308&ei=3713TuTlEqjV0QHWi-nfDQ&zoom=1
http://www.livius.org/a/1/iran/persepolis_air.jpg
2: Materials
Persians often shaped and sculpted stone for important buildings. Persians also used hardened clay for houses.
Stone and clay house.
Stone and clay building.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+building&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=tb0wQBi7eybnYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.happytellus.com/gallery.php%3Fimg_id%3D4354&docid=7YbwGFd173KkmM&w=720&h=540&ei=gcB3TqD8Baf10gHDr7ziCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=578&vpy=197&dur=956&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=114&ty=128&page=6&tbnh=143&tbnw=191&start=60&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:60 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+building&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=3y4YNUeKFuKXcM:&imgrefurl=http://www.noahpresnell.com/Recent.html&docid=11wsIO_id11iwM&w=640&h=565&ei=gcB3TqD8Baf10gHDr7ziCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=306&vpy=186&dur=1815&hovh=211&hovw=239&tx=89&ty=137&page=1&tbnh=157&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
3: Style
Important buildings were usually made as a sacrifice to the gods or great leader that the Persians believed in. most of the buildings consisted of columnsand sculpted images of their leaders and there gods. There important religious building usually consisted of these things on them. Buildings like this often have style similar to the ones of the Egyptians and romans. Most of the houses that were created usually took a basic box square type shape with flat roofs. Unlike the houses we have today but similar to those in other societies in that time period.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+city&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=9NPfR2PPvoP32M:&imgrefurl=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.ashdown/civilizations/persia/persia.htm&docid=nisY6XanQNyxuM&w=377&h=269&ei=qL93TtLhDIT50gH7s7ThCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=311&page=1&tbnh=115&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0&tx=96&ty=69
4: Music
1: Instruments
A lot of the instruments that people use in the Middle East today are based on the ones used thousands of years ago in Persia. Today we use instruments like the flute and guitar. It might be hard to believe, but Persians used those same instruments in ancient Persia. The instruments you see today are just advanced from the ones they used in ancient Persia.
The guitar looking shape you see is called a tar and the drum looking one is called a zarb or dombak.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+instruments&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=556&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=YJM66whv8eSi8M:&imgrefurl=http://www.usd.edu/smm/Africa/2424/Persian.html&docid=c3v_Ae1xDdZt3M&w=500&h=304&ei=r8h3TumQCJKy0AHt3djjCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=229&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=154&ty=77
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+instruments&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=556&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=9AjGoImTlogssM:&imgrefurl=http://www.voiceseducation.org/content/traditional-persian-instruments&docid=3FJs9P9-qDzm5M&w=315&h=500&ei=r8h3TumQCJKy0AHt3djjCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=148&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=80&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=37&ty=54 (tār), (tār),
2: Genre
The music they played in Persia can still be heard in the middle east today and lots of middle eastern music is based on the type of music they play in modern day middle east. If you clink on the link below it will show you what traditional Persian music sounds like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG_26TGsNCc
Click the link above for Persian music
Clothes:
PERSIANS HAD WOMEN WEAR LONG SILK DRESSES MADE OUT OF SILK OR CLOTH WITH COLERFUL RADIAL PATTERNS AND DESIGNS.
THIS IS WOMANS CLOTHING IN PERSIA OR ALSO KNOWN AS A KURDISH DRESS.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=PERSIAN+CLOTHING&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=yr6upA1qnjX2RM:&imgrefurl=http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D438949%26page%3D2&docid=jFS8uW8bU0gNvM&w=500&h=362&ei=HNF3TqTsG8LL0QHe0rHrDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=95&page=1&tbnh=99&tbnw=132&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=57&ty=34
Men wore similar clothing but instead of dresses they were long robes that would wrap around the entire body with colorful radial designs. Men’s clothing was also made out of silk or cloth.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=PERSIAN+CLOTHING&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=c8oCbnJQ-UD7tM:&imgrefurl=http://persianempire.info/persianpeople.htm&docid=8bUEJYQBQ3Yz5M&w=380&h=476&ei=HNF3TqTsG8LL0QHe0rHrDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=533&vpy=184&dur=8216&hovh=251&hovw=201&tx=155&ty=217&page=3&tbnh=147&tbnw=116&start=35&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:35
Artwork:
Wars played a big part in Persia's history. Some sculptures and ruins have been preserved from the time of rulers and great leaders in war. Also a lot of the things from 300 B.C. have been destroyed and left without a trace so paintings, mosaics, sculptures and other works of art are made to preserve what was believed to happen in Persia many years ago.
These two pictures are images of buildings made in recent times. This show that even today, in the Middle East, Persian architecture still exists today.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+art&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=Hl4vSonCgLQ5YM:&imgrefurl=http://old.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp%3Fcode%3D177212&docid=ivmrkMjtfbaVMM&w=619&h=550&ei=YLt3TpC4O8f10gG7zc3qDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=530&page=1&tbnh=105&tbnw=118&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=44&ty=57
Even though the Persian Empire has died out there art work lives on. This picture represents Persian design usually seen in carpets. In recent times a lot of patterns on carpets are from Persia and other ancient Middle Eastern civilizations.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=persian+art&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=556&tbm=isch&tbnid=MCniTmm1u9sBCM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/015.html&docid=AbRodImkkLhx3M&w=598&h=552&ei=YLt3TpC4O8f10gG7zc3qDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=758&vpy=219&dur=2930&hovh=216&hovw=234&tx=130&ty=189&page=1&tbnh=105&tbnw=114&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0
This is a piece made by an artist based on the type of sculptors Persians made thousands of years ago. The sculptor based this piece of art on ruins left behind from the Persia
Technology and Society (Brooke Yang)
Technology:
What allowed Persia to grow culturally was its agricultural success. Besides the advantage of extremely fertile valleys in Fars, the Persians also created the Persian Water Wheel, an irrigation system that brought water from the Nile River. This greatly benefitted farmers because the Persian plateau was overall very arid. Settlers in Persia were able to build cities, which helped with trade, as well as smaller towns where people could live. Roads were built, most notably the Royal Road, which allowed people to communicate with others who lived far from them. The Persian military was able to conquer many lands using composite recurve bows, which were highly advanced bow and arrows at the time that could shoot far distances. In fact, an important part of children's education was learning to use a bow and arrow. Horse racing was the next strength of Persians, and soldiers were trained to ride them proficiently.
Society:
Ancient Persia was a sophisticated, wealthy, and beautiful empire that was envied by all. Aryan tribes, who were originally from the Caspian Sea region, were the first settlers of this great empire. They settled in the region of Fars on the Persian plateau, surrounded by mountains and desert. There were fertile valleys in which people were able to grow surpluses of food. However, the settlers had a rough beginning in their new land. The Medes, who lived near Fars, took control of the Aryan tribes, against their wishes. But along came Cyrus the Great, who united the Medes and the Aryan tribes, and took control of his newly established empire. He began the great success of Persia. At the time of his rule, several different cultures existed, as Cyrus showed great respect and importance towards diversity and different customs. In turn, the people of Persia valued and respected him. Persia quickly became known for its stunning buildings, flourishing gardens, and large merchant districts. Egypt and Greece were later seized by the Persians, further increasing their wealth, but unfortunately also increasing the risk of being attacked due to jealousy from other empires. The empire was expanded yet again by Darius I, when he became leader and seized western India. He also benefitted Persia in other ways, creating a successful administration, including building a postal system and establishing standard weights and measurements. Finally, Darius I improved communication across the vast empire. When the Sassanian family took power, Zoroastrianism became the single religion practiced and the first social hierarchy was put in place. The royal family was the most powerful and wealthy, second were the Zoroastrian priests, next were the military workers, and at the bottom were the common people.Many sports were played, such as archery and horse racing. Even after Persia was overun by Muslims, the wonderful culture continued to live on.
Sources:
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1296394?terms=persian+technology
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/574753?terms=persian+empire
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1498055?terms=persian+sports
Battle of Marathon." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/573747?terms=Persia+Persia+Government+government
"The Persian Empire (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/574516?terms=persian+militar
"Darius I." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2011.
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